Display apparatus and controlling method of the display apparatus

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus and a controlling method thereof are provided. The display apparatus includes: a display panel; at least one sensor configured to detect a distance to an external object; a driver configured to rotate the display panel while a front surface of the display panel maintains a facing direction; and a processor configured to: based on an event for rotating the display panel occurring, control the driver to rotate the display panel, and based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, the object within a predetermined distance in a rotating direction of the display panel while the display panel rotates, control the driver to stop rotating the display panel, wherein the predetermined distance has different values according to a rotating angle by which the display panel has rotated from a position of the display panel before the event occurred.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/588,411 filed Sep. 30, 2019, which is based on and claims priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0031087,filed on Mar. 19, 2019, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a display apparatus and a controlling methodof the display apparatus, and more particularly, to a display apparatuswherein a display panel rotates and a controlling method of the displayapparatus.

2. Description of Related Art

With the evolution of electronic technologies, various displayapparatuses that suit customers' needs are being developed. Among them,a display apparatus in which a display panel rotates is being developedfor improving usefulness.

For example, depending on the resolution of an image to be displayed,there may be a case in which a change of the position or orientation ofthe display apparatus between a portrait position and a landscapeposition is beneficial. Also, in the case of a display apparatus such asa television (TV), change of a position or orientation may be beneficialaccording to the purpose of installation or the surrounding environment.

In this case, the display apparatus may provide a display environmentappropriate for a particular situation by changing its position ororientation via rotating a display panel automatically according tooccurrence of a rotation event.

Here, however, if the display apparatus rotates without consideration ofthe surrounding environment, collision with a person or an object thatexists within the rotation radius may occur.

SUMMARY

Provided are a display apparatus which is capable of controllingrotation of a display panel by detecting a nearby obstacle, and acontrolling method of the display apparatus.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

In accordance with an aspect of the disclosure, a display apparatusincludes: a display panel; at least one sensor configured to detect adistance to an external object; a driver configured to rotate thedisplay panel while a front surface of the display panel maintains afacing direction; and a processor configured to: based on an event forrotating the display panel occurring, control the driver to rotate thedisplay panel, and based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, theobject within a predetermined distance in a rotating direction of thedisplay panel while the display panel rotates, control the driver tostop rotating the display panel, wherein the predetermined distance hasdifferent values according to a rotating angle by which the displaypanel has rotated from a position of the display panel before the eventoccurred.

The predetermined distance has a decreasing value as the rotating angleby which the display panel has rotated increases.

The driver may be configured to rotate the display panel in a forwarddirection from a first position to a second position perpendicular tothe first position, in a reverse direction, opposite the forwarddirection, from the second position to the first position.

The at least one sensor may be arranged adjacent to at least one cornerof the display panel.

The at least one sensor may include a first sensor and a second sensorrespectively arranged adjacent to different corners on a first edgeamong two long edges on the display panel in a rectangular form, and athird sensor and a fourth sensor respectively arranged adjacent todifferent corners on a second edge among the two long edges.

The processor may be further configured to: based on the display panelrotating in a forward direction, detect the object via the first sensorand the third sensor located diagonally from each other; and based onthe display panel rotating in a reverse direction, opposite the forwarddirection, detect the object via the second sensor and the fourth sensorlocated diagonally from each other.

The first sensor and the third sensor may be arranged such that adetecting direction is toward the forward direction; and the secondsensor and the fourth sensor may be arranged such that the detectingdirection is toward the reverse direction.

The processor may be further configured to: based on the display panelrotating in the forward direction, control to increase arrangementangles of the first sensor and the third sensor in the reverse directionas the rotating angle increases; and based on the display panel rotatingin the reverse direction, control to increase arrangement angles of thesecond sensor and the fourth sensor in the forward direction as therotating angle increases.

The processor may be further configured to: based on the eventoccurring, control the at least one sensor to detect whether the objectexists within the predetermined distance before rotating the displaypanel, and based on the object being detected within the predetermineddistance before rotating the display panel, control the driver not torotate the display panel, and based on the object not being detectedwithin the predetermined distance before rotating the display panel,control the driver to rotate the display panel.

The processor may be further configured to, based on the object beingdetected within the predetermined distance before or while the displaypanel rotates, control the display panel to display a notificationmessage.

The processor may be further configured to: based on an object not beingdetected within the predetermined distance within a predetermined timeperiod after the object is detected and rotation of the display panel isstopped, control the driver to resume rotation of the display panel; andbased on the object being continuously detected within the predetermineddistance during the predetermined time period, control the driver toreturn the display panel to a position before the event occurred.

The processor may be further configured to, based on the object beingdetected within the predetermined distance, stop the rotation of thedisplay panel and control the driver to return the display panel to aposition before the event occurred.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a controllingmethod of a display apparatus including a display panel, includes: basedon an event for rotating the display panel occurring, rotating thedisplay panel while a front surface of the display panel maintains afacing direction; detecting, via at least one sensor, a distance to anexternal object while the display panel rotates; and based on detectingthe object within the predetermined distance in a rotating direction ofthe display panel, stopping the rotating of the display panel, whereinthe predetermined distance has different values according to a rotatingangle by which the display panel has rotated from a position of thedisplay panel before the event occurred.

The predetermined distance may have a decreasing value as the rotatingangle by which the display panel has rotated increases.

The display panel may be rotatable in a forward direction from a firstposition to a second position perpendicular to the first position, andmay be rotatable in a reverse direction, opposite the forward direction,from the second position to the first position.

The at least one sensor may include a first sensor and a second sensorrespectively arranged adjacent to different corners on a first edgeamong two long edges on the display panel in a rectangular form, and athird sensor and a fourth sensor respectively arranged adjacent todifferent corners on a second edge among the two long edges.

The detecting may include: based on the display panel rotating in aforward direction, detecting the object via the first sensor and thethird sensor located diagonally from each other; and based on thedisplay panel rotating in a reverse direction, opposite the forwarddirection, detecting the object via the second sensor and the fourthsensor located diagonally from each other.

The controlling method may further include: based on the display panelrotating in the forward direction, increasing arrangement angles of thefirst sensor and the third sensor in the reverse direction as therotating angle increases; and based on the display panel rotating in thereverse direction, increasing the arrangement angles of the secondsensor and the fourth sensor in the forward direction as the rotatingangle increases.

The controlling method may further include: based on the eventoccurring, detecting whether the object exists within the predetermineddistance before rotating the display panel; and based on the objectbeing detected within the predetermined distance before rotating thedisplay panel, not rotating the display panel, and based on the objectnot being detected within the predetermined distance before rotating thedisplay panel, rotating the display panel.

The controlling method may further include, based on the object beingdetected within the predetermined distance before or while the displaypanel rotates, outputting a notification message.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a display apparatusincludes: a display panel; at least one sensor configured to detectwhether an object exists within a predetermined distance of the displaypanel along a rotational path of the display panel; a processorconfigured to execute instructions to, based on detecting, via the atleast one sensor, the object within the predetermined distance in therotational path of the display panel, control the display panel to notrotate, wherein the predetermined distance has different valuesaccording to a rotating angle by which the display panel has rotatedfrom a position of the display panel before the event occurred.

The at least one sensor may be configured to detect whether the objectexists within the predetermined distance of the display panel while thedisplay panel rotates along the rotational path; and the processor maybe configured to execute the instructions to, based on detecting, viathe at least one sensor, the object within the predetermined distancewhile the display panel rotates, control the display panel to stoprotating.

The at least one sensor may be configured to detect whether the objectexists within the predetermined distance of the display panel before thedisplay panel rotates along the rotational path; and the processor maybe configured to execute the instructions to, based on detecting, viathe at least one sensor, the object within the predetermined distancebefore the display panel rotates, control the display panel to notrotate.

The at least one sensor may be further configured to detect whether theobject exists within the predetermined distance of the display panelwhile the display panel rotates along the rotational path; and theprocessor may be further configured to execute the instructions to:based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, that the object doesnot exist within the predetermined distance before the display panelrotates, control the display panel to rotate along the rotational path;and based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, the object withinthe predetermined distance while the display panel rotates, control thedisplay panel to stop rotating.

The predetermined distance may have a decreasing value as the rotatingangle by which the display panel has rotated increases.

The at least one sensor may include a first sensor and a second sensorrespectively arranged adjacent to different corners on a first edgeamong two long edges on the display panel in a rectangular form, and athird sensor and a fourth sensor respectively arranged adjacent todifferent corners on a second edge among the two long edges.

The processor may be further configured to execute the instructions to:based on the display panel rotating in a forward direction, detect theobject via the first sensor and the third sensor located diagonally fromeach other; and based on the display panel rotating in a reversedirection, opposite the forward direction, detect the object via thesecond sensor and the fourth sensor located diagonally from each other.

The first sensor and the third sensor may be arranged such that adetecting direction is toward the forward direction; and the secondsensor and the fourth sensor may be arranged such that the detectingdirection is toward the reverse direction.

The processor may be further configured to execute the instructions to:based on the display panel rotating in the forward direction, control toincrease arrangement angles of the first sensor and the third sensor inthe reverse direction as the rotating angle increases; and based on thedisplay panel rotating in the reverse direction, control to increasearrangement angles of the second sensor and the fourth sensor in theforward direction as the rotating angle increases.

The processor may be further configured to execute the instructions to,based on the object being detected within the predetermined distancebefore or while the display panel rotates, control the display panel todisplay a notification message.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1A is a diagram for illustrating rotation of a display panelaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 1B is a diagram for illustrating rotation of a display panelaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 1C is a diagram for illustrating rotation of a display panelaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a display apparatus according to anembodiment;

FIG. 3A is a diagram for illustrating a rotation radius and a positionof a display panel according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3B is a diagram for illustrating a rotation radius and a positionof a display apparatus according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3C is a diagram for illustrating arrangement of a sensor accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of detecting an obstaclewhen a display panel rotates in a forward direction according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of detecting an obstaclewhen a display panel rotates in a reverse direction according to anembodiment;

FIG. 5A is a diagram for illustrating an embodiment wherein detectingdistance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angle of adisplay panel;

FIG. 5B is a diagram for illustrating an embodiment wherein detectingdistance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angle of adisplay panel;

FIG. 5C is a diagram for illustrating an embodiment wherein detectingdistance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angle of adisplay panel;

FIG. 5D is a diagram for illustrating an embodiment wherein detectingdistance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angle of adisplay panel;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary graph illustrating a change in detecting distanceof an obstacle according to a rotating angle of a display panel;

FIG. 7A is a diagram for illustrating another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 7B is a diagram for illustrating another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 7C is a diagram for illustrating another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 7D is a diagram for illustrating another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram of a display apparatus according toan embodiment;

FIG. 9A is a diagram for illustrating still another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 9B is a diagram for illustrating still another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 9C is a diagram for illustrating still another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 9D is a diagram for illustrating still another embodiment whereindetecting distance of an obstacle changes according to a rotating angleof a display panel;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram wherein a display apparatus outputsnotification in case an obstacle is detected according to an embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a controlling method of a displayapparatus according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a controlling method of a displayapparatus according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In describing embodiments, where a detailed explanation of related knowntechnologies may unnecessarily confuse the gist of the disclosure, thedetailed explanation may be omitted or abridged. Also, overlapping orredundant explanations of the same components or operations may beomitted below.

The suffix “part” for components used in the description below is addedor interchangeably used for convenience of description, and the termitself does not have a distinguished meaning or role.

The terms used in the disclosure are used for describing embodiments,and are not intended to restrict and/or limit the disclosure. Also,singular expressions include plural expressions, unless a contextindicates otherwise.

In the disclosure, terms such as “include” and “have” should beinterpreted as designating that there are such characteristics, numbers,steps, operations, elements, components or a combination thereofdescribed in the specification, but not to exclude in advance theexistence or possibility of one or more additional othercharacteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or acombination thereof.

Also, the expressions “first,” “second,” and the like used in thedisclosure may be used to describe various elements regardless of anyorder and/or degree of importance. Also, such expressions are used onlyto distinguish one element from another element, and are not intended tolimit the elements.

In addition, the description in the disclosure that one element (e.g., afirst element) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to” or“connected to” another element (e.g., a second element) should beinterpreted to include both the case where the one element is directlycoupled to the another element, and the case where the one element iscoupled to the another element through still another element (e.g., athird element). In contrast, the description that one element (e.g., afirst element) is “directly coupled” or “directly connected” to anotherelement (e.g., a second element) can be interpreted to mean that stillanother element (e.g., a third element) does not exist between the oneelement and the another element. It is understood that, hereinafter,expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements(e.g., “at least one of A and B” or “at least one of A or B”), modifythe entire list of elements (i.e., only A, only B, or both A and B) anddo not modify the individual elements of the list.

Meanwhile, the terms used in the embodiments may be interpreted asmeanings generally known to those of ordinary skill in the art describedin the disclosure, unless defined differently in the disclosure.

Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are diagrams for illustrating operations of a displayapparatus 100 according to an embodiment.

According to FIGS. 1A to 1C, a display apparatus 100 includes a displaypanel 110 and a support 190 for supporting the display panel 110. InFIGS. 1A to 1C, an example in which the display panel 110 is a flatsurface is shown. However, it is understood that one or more otherembodiments are not limited thereto. For example, according to anotherembodiment, the display panel 110 may have a bent or curved shape. Also,the display apparatus 100 may be implemented without the support 190depending on embodiments, e.g., where the display apparatus 100 iswall-mounted with a rotational motor and/or driver.

If an event for rotating the display panel 110 occurs, the displayapparatus 100 may rotate the display panel 110. Here, an event forrotating the display panel 110 may be, for example, a user command forrotating the display panel 110, advent of a predetermined time point,change of the resolution of an image to be displayed, etc., but is notlimited thereto.

The display panel 110 may rotate with a rotation center 10 as the centerwhile the direction that its front surface is toward is fixed, asillustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C. Here, the direction that the frontsurface faces refers to the direction that the screen of the displaypanel 110 faces.

According to an embodiment, the display panel 110 may rotate between aportrait position (or a position in a vertical direction in which aheight is greater than a width) and a landscape position (or a positionin a horizontal direction in which a width is greater than a height).

Here, a portrait position refers to a position (or orientation) in whichthe display panel 110 is arranged in a form wherein its vertical lengthis longer than its horizontal length based on the ground, and alandscape position refers to a position (or orientation) in which thedisplay panel 110 is arranged in a form wherein its horizontal length islonger than its vertical length. Here, the display panel 110 may be in arectangular form.

For example, if a user command for rotating the display panel 110 isinput while the display panel 110 is in a portrait position as in FIG.1A, the display panel 110 may rotate in a counterclockwise direction andgo through a position as in FIG. 1B, before settling in a landscapeposition illustrated in FIG. 1C. Alternatively, if a user command forrotating the display panel 110 is input while the display panel 110 isin a landscape position as in FIG. 1C, the display panel 110 may rotatein a clockwise direction and go through a position as in FIG. 1B, andstop in a portrait position illustrated in FIG. 1A.

It is understood that one or more other embodiments wherein the displaypanel 110 rotates are not limited to what is illustrated in FIGS. 1A to1C. For example, the display panel 110 may rotate in a clockwisedirection in a portrait position to reach a landscape position, orrotate in a counterclockwise direction in a landscape position to reacha portrait position.

Also, while it has been described that the display panel 110 rotates by90 degrees in a counterclockwise or clockwise direction and to have aportrait position or a landscape position, these are merely examples andit is understood that one or more other embodiments are not limitedthereto. For example, the display panel 110 may rotate by 90 degrees ina counterclockwise or clockwise direction from a portrait position tohave a landscape position, and may further rotate by 90 degrees in thesame direction from a landscape position to have a portrait position.

When the display panel 110 rotates as described above, in case a personor an object exists in the rotating radius of the display panel 110, acollision may occur. To prevent such a collision, the display apparatus100 may detect whether an object (or an obstacle) exists within apredetermined distance in the direction in which the display panel 110rotates, and if an object is detected within a predetermined distance,the display apparatus 100 may stop rotation of the display panel 110.

Specifically, according to an embodiment, in an area adjacent to thecorner of the display panel 110, a sensor that can detect distance to orpresence of an object may be included. Accordingly, the displayapparatus 100 may detect whether an object exists within a predetermineddistance in the direction in which the display panel 110 rotates througha sensor.

Here, in case an object exists outside the rotating range of the displaypanel 110, collision will not occur even if the display panel 110rotates. Thus, it is not appropriate to stop the display panel 110 evenin a case in which an object is detected outside the rotating range.

As such, the predetermined distance is adjusted appropriately. Accordingto an embodiment, the display apparatus 100 may dynamically adjust thepredetermined distance while the display panel 110 rotates. Inparticular, while the display panel 110 rotates from a first position toa second position, a distance by which the display panel 110 is to berotated decreases gradually. Thus, the display apparatus 100 may performadjustment such that the predetermined distance has a smaller value asthe rotating angle of the display panel 110 increases.

Accordingly, the display apparatus 100 or the display panel 110 can berotated safely.

As described above, the display apparatus 100 may be implemented asvarious display apparatuses such as a TV, a monitor, an electronicpicture frame, an electronic blackboard, an electronic table, a laptopcomputer, a large format display (LFD), a digital sign, an electronicbillboard, etc.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment. Referring to FIG. 2 , a display apparatus 100 includes adisplay panel 110, a driver 120, and a processor 130.

The display panel 110 may display images. The display panel 110 may bevarious types of display panels such as a liquid crystal display (LCD)panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, a plasma displaypanel (PDP), an inorganic LED panel, a micro LED panel, etc.

In particular, the display panel 110 may rotate as described above withreference to FIGS. 1A to 1C, according to driving of the driver 120.Here, the display panel 110 may rotate with a rotation center 10 as thecenter while its front surface maintains a specific facing direction.Here, the rotation center 10 may be located in the geometric center ofthe display panel 110, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and maybe located in another location of the display panel 110 or the displayapparatus 100.

According to an embodiment, the display panel 110 may rotate between afirst position and a second position perpendicular to the firstposition. That is, the display panel 110 may rotate in a forwarddirection from a first position to have a second position, and mayrotate in a reverse direction from a second position to have a firstposition.

Here, the first position may be any one of a portrait position or alandscape position, and the second position may be the other one of theportrait position or the landscape position. Also, the forward directionmay be any one of a counterclockwise direction or a clockwise direction,and the reverse direction may be the other one of the counterclockwisedirection or the clockwise direction.

FIG. 3A illustrates the display panel 110 in a portrait position, andFIG. 3B illustrates the display panel 110 in a landscape position.Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, an embodiment will bedescribed wherein the first position is a portrait position, the secondposition is a landscape position, the forward direction is acounterclockwise direction, and the reverse direction is a clockwisedirection.

Meanwhile, the display panel 110 may include a sensor 111 detectingdistance to or presence of an external object. Here, the sensor 111 maybe arranged in an area adjacent to the corner of the display panel 110.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the display panel 110 in arectangular form has a rotating range 30 in a circular form throughwhich four corners 1 to 4 pass at the time of rotation. Accordingly, toprevent collision by detecting an object in the rotating range 30 inadvance when the display panel 110 rotates, according to an embodiment,the sensor 111 may be arranged in an area adjacent to the corners 1 to 4of the display panel 110.

FIG. 3C illustrates an example wherein four sensors 111-1 to 111-4 arearranged in areas adjacent to each corner 1 to 4 of the display panel110. Specifically, according to an embodiment, the display panel 110 ina rectangular form may include a first sensor 111-1 and a second sensor111-2 arranged to be respectively adjacent to different corners 1, 2 ona first edge 40 between two long edges 40, 50, and a third sensor 111-3and a fourth sensor 111-4 arranged to be respectively adjacent todifferent corners 3, 4 on a second edge 50.

Here, according to an embodiment, in case the display panel 110 rotatesin a forward direction as illustrated in FIG. 4A, an object 1000 in therotating range 30 may be detected by using the first sensor 111-1 andthe third sensor 111-3 located in the corners 1, 3 in a diagonaldirection. Meanwhile, in case the display panel 110 rotates in a reversedirection as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the object 1000 may be detected byusing the second sensor 111-2 and the fourth sensor 111-4 located in thecorners 2, 4 in a diagonal direction.

To this end, according to an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, thefirst and third sensors 111-1, 111-3 may be arranged such that thedetecting directions 11, 13 are toward a forward direction, and thesecond and fourth sensors 111-2, 111-4 may be arranged such that thedetecting directions 12, 14 are toward a reverse direction.

Meanwhile, the sensor 111 may be implemented as various sensors such asan infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a Light Detection and Ranging(LIDAR) sensor, a radar sensor, a camera sensor, an image sensor, etc.

The driver 120 controls rotation of the display panel 110. Specifically,the driver 120 may be connected to the display panel 110, and may rotatethe display panel 110 or stop the rotation of the display panel 110according to control of the processor 130. Here, the driver 120 mayrotationally drive the display panel 110 at a specific angular velocity,but is not limited thereto.

For this, the driver 120 may include a motor (e.g., an alternatingcurrent (AC) motor, a direct current (DC) motor, a step motor, avariable speed motor, etc.) that can generate rotating force and varioustypes of members (e.g., a driving shaft, a driving gear, etc.) fortransmitting the rotating force (or torque) of the motor to the displaypanel 110.

The processor 130 (e.g., at least one processor) controls the overalloperations of the display apparatus 100. In particular, when an eventfor rotating the display panel 110 occurs, the processor 130 may controlthe driver 120 such that the display panel 110 rotates.

Here, a rotation event may be an event in which a user command forrotating the display panel 110 is input, an event in which apredetermined time period arrives or passes, an event in which theresolution of an image to be displayed and the position of the displaypanel 110 do not match each other, an event in which a control signalfor rotating the display panel 110 is received from an external device,etc. It is understood, however, that a rotation event is not limitedthereto.

Specifically, when a user command for rotating the display panel 110 isinput, the processor 130 may rotate the display panel 110. For example,if change of the position of the display panel 110 is needed or isappropriate, a user may input a user command for rotating the displaypanel 110 by selecting a specific button provided on the displayapparatus 100 or a remote controller or selecting a menu displayed onthe display panel 110. If a user command is input, as described above,the processor 130 may control the driver 120 such that the display panel110 rotates.

Also, a user may set a time point when the position of the display panel110 will be changed on the display apparatus 100. When a time point setby a user in advance as described above arrives, the processor 130 maycontrol the driver 120 such that the display panel 120 rotates.

In addition, in case the resolution of an image to be displayed and thecurrent position of the display panel 110 do not match or correspond toeach other, the processor 130 may rotate the display panel 110. Forexample, the processor 130 may determine that an image having aresolution in which the horizontal length is longer (greater) than thevertical length matches or corresponds to a landscape position, and animage having a resolution in which the vertical length is longer(greater) than the horizontal length matches or corresponds to aportrait position.

Accordingly, if a reproduction command for an image having a resolutionin which the horizontal length is longer (greater) than the verticallength is input while the display panel 110 is in a portrait position,the processor 130 may determine that the image and the position of thedisplay panel 110 do not match or correspond to each other, and maycontrol to rotate the display panel 110 to a landscape position. Incontrast, if a reproduction command for an image having a resolution inwhich the vertical length is longer (greater) than the horizontal lengthis input while the display panel 110 is in a landscape position, theprocessor 130 may control to rotate the display panel 110 to a portraitposition.

Meanwhile, the processor 130 may detect distance to or in-path presenceof an external object through the sensor 111 while the display panel 110rotates. Accordingly, if an object is detected within a predetermineddistance in the rotating direction of the display panel 110, theprocessor 130 may control the driver 120 such that the rotation of thedisplay 110 stops.

Here, a predetermined distance is a distance wherein, in case an objectis detected within the distance, the rotation of the display panel 110stops. Thus, collision with an object that exists in the rotating range30 of the display panel 110 can be prevented by setting a predetermineddistance appropriately.

Meanwhile, as described above, there is no need that the rotation of thedisplay panel 110 stops even in a case wherein an object exists outsidethe rotating range of the display panel 110. Thus, there is a need toset a predetermined distance appropriately.

According to an embodiment, a predetermined distance may have differentvalues according to the rotating angle of the display panel 110. Inparticular, a predetermined distance may be set to have a smaller valueas the rotating angle increases. Here, a rotating angle refers to anangle by which the display panel 110 rotates based on the position ofthe display panel 110 before the display panel 110 starts to rotate.

Information on a predetermined distance value according to the rotatingangle of the display panel 110 may be calculated in advance and storedin the display apparatus 100, and the processor 130 may dynamicallychange the predetermined distance based on the stored information.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the processor 130 may detect anexternal object before the display panel 110 rotates, and determinewhether to rotate the display panel 110 according to whether an objectis detected within a predetermined distance.

Specifically, the processor 130 may not start rotation of the displaypanel 110 immediately in case a rotation event occurs, but control thesensor 111 to detect or check for an object before rotating the displaypanel 110. Accordingly, if an object is detected within a predetermineddistance, the processor 130 may not control to rotate the display panel110, and if an object is not detected within a predetermined distance,the processor 130 may control the driver 120 such that the display panel110 rotates.

FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate a change in a predetermined distance relatedto a sensor 111-3 arranged in an area adjacent to a corner 3 while thedisplay panel 110 in the first position rotates in a forward directionto have the second position.

In the examples of FIGS. 5A to 5D, the size of the display panel 110 is43 inches (109.22 cm). Also, an example in which a sensor 111-3 of whichmaximum detecting distance is 4 meters and detecting range (or detectingangle) x is 30 degrees is arranged by an arrangement angle y of 30degrees based on the second edge 50 surface of the display panel 110 isprovided.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, if a rotation event occurs while the displaypanel 110 is in the first position, the processor 130 may control thesensor 111-3 to detect an external object first before rotating thedisplay panel 110.

In this case, detecting an object is for determining whether an obstacleexits in the rotating range 30 first before the display panel 110rotates according to a rotation event. Thus, according to an embodiment,55.12 cm which is the maximum distance of the rotating radius of thedisplay panel 110 can be used as a predetermined distance z, asillustrated in FIG. 5A. (55.12 cm can be easily derived from thenumerical values (in units of cm) illustrated in FIG. 5A.)

Accordingly, if an object is detected within the shadow portion in FIG.5A, the processor 130 does not rotate the display panel 110, but rotatesthe display panel 110 outside the shadow portion even if an object isdetected.

If the display panel 110 starts rotating, the processor 130 maydetermine whether an obstacle exists in the rotating range 30 while thedisplay panel 110 rotates, and the processor 130 may control therotation of the display panel 110 accordingly. Specifically, if anobject is detected within a predetermined distance z through the sensor111-3, the processor 130 may control the driver 120 to stop the rotationof the display panel 110.

FIGS. 5B to 5D illustrate cases in which the rotating angles after therotation of the display panel 110 starts is around 30 degrees, 45degrees, and 90 degrees, respectively. Accordingly, as illustrated inFIGS. 5B to 5D, if an object is detected within each shadow portionwhile the display panel 110 rotates, the processor 130 may stop therotation of the display panel 110.

Here, referring to the shadow portions in FIGS. 5A to 5D, it can be seenthat an area e that is outside the rotating range 30 of the displaypanel 110 is included in the shadow portion. It is understood, however,that before or when the display panel 110 rotates, collision with anobject occurs only when an object exists in the rotating range 30.

Thus, according to an embodiment, by changing the predetermined distancez according to the rotating angle of the display panel 110appropriately, the error that the display panel 110 does not rotate whenan obstacle that exists outside the rotating range 30 is detected isreduced.

Specifically, the distance that the corner 3 should move while thedisplay panel 110 rotates from the first position to the second positionis the longest in the first position, and is reduced as the rotatingangle of the display panel 120 increases. That is, as the rotating angleof the display panel 110 increases, there is no need to detect anobstacle that exists far away. Also, as the predetermined distance z issmaller, the length of the shadow portion is reduced, and thus erroneousdetections of objects outside the rotational path 30 of the displaypanel 110 are reduced.

As described above, according to an embodiment, as the rotating angleincreases, a predetermined distance z of a smaller value is applied, asillustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D, and the aforementioned error can bereduced as an obstacle in the rotating range 30 is detectedappropriately. That is, in case an obstacle that exists outside therotating range 30 is detected even though it is inside the shadowportion (i.e., in case an object was detected in the e area), the errorthat the display panel 110 does not rotate can be reduced.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary graph illustrating a change in detecting distanceof an obstacle (a predetermined distance) according to a rotating angleof a display panel. Specifically, the x axis in FIG. 6 indicates arotating angle of the display panel 110, and the y axis indicates apredetermined distance z.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , according to an embodiment, it can be seenthat the predetermined distance z is set to become smaller as therotating angle of the display panel 110 becomes bigger. The displayapparatus 100 may store information on the predetermined distanceaccording to the rotating angle as illustrated in FIG. 6 , and theprocessor 130 may dynamically adjust the predetermined distance zaccording to the rotating angle of the display panel 110 with referenceto the stored information.

It is understood, however, that the data in FIG. 6 is merely an example,and detailed data (e.g., predetermined distance data) may vary or bechanged or adjusted by logical calculation, calibration,experimentation, testing, etc.

Further, while the above description is with reference to an example ofthe operation of one sensor 111-3, it is understood that the operationsof the other sensors are similar to the operation of the sensor 111-3,but vary with respect to their arrangement locations and angles. Thus,the operations can be understood sufficiently through the explanationabove.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the types or arrangement angles of thesensor 111 are not limited to what are illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D inone or more other embodiments. For example, FIGS. 7A to 7D illustrate acase in which the sensor 111 having a different detecting angle x fromthe sensors in FIGS. 5A to 5D is arranged at a different arrangementangle y, and cases wherein the rotating angles of the display panel 110are 0 degree, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and almost 90 degrees,respectively.

Specifically, in FIGS. 7A to 7D, for reducing the aforementioned error,a sensor 111-3 of which detecting range (or detecting angle) x issmaller than 30 degrees is implemented. Also, the sensor 111-3 isarranged at an arrangement angle y that is smaller than 30 degrees basedon the second edge 50 surface of the display panel 110.

Referring to FIGS. 7A to 7D, it can be seen that in the same manner asin FIGS. 5A to 5D, the predetermined distance z decreases as therotating angle of the display panel 110 increases.

However, it can be seen that an area in which an error may occur amongthe shadow portions, i.e., the area e that is outside the rotating range30 of the display 110 even though it is within the predetermineddistance z in the detecting angle x of the sensor 111-3, is reduced ascompared to FIGS. 5A to 5D.

Thus, according to the one or more embodiments shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D,some small areas of the rotating range 30 may not be covered, but theaforementioned error can be reduced overall.

As described above, by arranging the sensor 111 having various detectingangles x in various arrangement angles y, various embodiments can bederived.

FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram of a display apparatus 800 accordingto an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8 , a display apparatus 800 includesa display panel 810, a driver 820, a processor 830 (e.g., at least oneprocessor), a sensor part 840, a communicator 850, a video processor860, an audio processor 870, a memory 880, a user inputter 890, and anaudio outputter. Meanwhile, explanation of overlapping or redundantcontents regarding the same components as the components described abovewith reference to FIG. 2 will be omitted below.

The communicator 850 performs communication with various kinds ofservers or external apparatuses according to various types ofcommunication methods.

For this, the communicator 850 may include at least one communicationmodule among a near field wireless communication module and a wirelessLAN communication module. Here, a near field wireless communicationmodule is a communication module performing data communicationwirelessly with an external apparatus located in a near field, and maybe, for example, a Bluetooth module, a ZigBee module, a Near FieldCommunication (NFC) module, etc. Also, a wireless LAN communicationmodule is a module performing communication by being connected with anexternal network according to a wireless communication protocol such asWiFi, IEEE 802, etc.

The communicator 850 may further include a mobile communication moduleperforming communication by accessing a mobile communication networkaccording to various mobile communication standards such as 3rdGeneration (3G), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Long TermEvolution (LTE), etc. Also, the communicator 850 may include at leastone of wired communication modules such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB),Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394, RS-232,etc. In addition, the communicator 850 may include a broadcastingreceiving module receiving TV broadcasting.

Accordingly, the display apparatus 800 may be provided with variouskinds of broadcasting services, Internet services, etc., through thecommunicator 850, and may connect to and communicate with various typesof devices, such as a set top box, a smartphone, a media server, anetwork server, a media streaming device, a laptop computer, etc. withthe display apparatus 800 may also connect to and communicate with amedia device such as a sound bar, and may use information stored in aUSB memory.

The video processor 860 is a component that processes an image signalincluding an image frame received through the communicator 850. At thevideo processor 860, various kinds of image processing such as decoding,scaling, noise filtering, frame rate conversion, resolution conversion,etc., for an image signal may be performed. An image frame processed asabove may be displayed on the display panel 810.

The audio processor 870 is a component that processes an audio signalreceived through the communicator 850. At the audio processor 870,various kinds of processing such as decoding or amplification, noisefiltering, etc., for an audio signal may be performed. An audio signalprocessed at the audio processor 870 may be output through the audiooutputter.

The audio outputter is a component that outputs various kinds of audiosignals and various kinds of notification sounds or voice messagesprocessed at the audio processor 870. Further, the audio processor 870may be implemented as a speaker, etc.

The user inputter 890 may receive input of various kinds of usercommands for controlling the operations of the display apparatus 800. Tothis end, the user inputter 890 may be implemented as various inputdevices that can control the display apparatus 800 such as various kindsof buttons, a touch sensor, etc. Also, as a user command may be receivedthrough an external remote control, the user inputter 890 may include aremote control signal receiver, such as an infrared (IR) or radiofrequency (RF) receiver.

The memory 880 stores various programs and data for operations of thedisplay apparatus 800. In particular, in the memory 880, tableinformation regarding a predetermined distance z according to a rotatingangle of the display panel 110 may be stored.

To this end, the memory 880 may include various kinds of random accessmemories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), and flash memories. However,it is understood that one or more other embodiments are not limitedthereto, and the memory 880 may further include a storage medium such asa Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a Solid State Drive (SSD), an optical recordingmedium (such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), aBlu-Ray disk, etc.), etc.

The sensor part 840 includes various kinds of sensors. For example, thesensor part 840 may include at least one of an image sensor, a proximitysensor, an illumination sensor, a pressure sensor, a light sensor, atemperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an acceleration sensor, variouskinds of bio sensors, etc. In particular, the sensor part 840 mayinclude the aforementioned distance sensor 111 for detecting distance toor presence of an external object.

As the display panel 810 and the driver 820 are the same orsubstantially similar components as the display panel 110 and the driver120 in FIG. 2 , redundant descriptions thereof are omitted below.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, as will be described below, thearrangement angle of the sensor 111 may be changed while the displaypanel 810 rotates. For this, the driver 820 may include components forchanging the arrangement angle of the sensor 111. For example, thedriver 820 may change the arrangement angle of the sensor 111 by usingvarious kinds of actuators such as a motor, although it is understoodthat one or more other embodiments are not limited thereto

The processor 830 controls the overall operations of the displayapparatus 800 by using various types of programs, instructions, and datastored in the memory 880.

The processor 830 includes a RAM 832, a ROM 833, a graphic processor834, a main central processing unit (CPU) 831, first to nth interfaces835-1˜835-n, and a bus 836. Here, the RAM 832, the ROM 833, the graphicprocessor 834, the main CPU 831, and the first to nth interfaces835-1˜835-n may be connected with one another through the bus 836.

The ROM 833 stores a set of instructions, etc., for system booting. Whena turn-on instruction is input and power is supplied, the main CPU 831copies the operating system (O/S) stored in the memory 880 to the RAM832 according to the instruction stored in the ROM 833, and boots thesystem by executing the O/S. When booting is completed, the main CPU 831copies various types of application programs stored in the memory 880 tothe RAM 832, and performs various types of operations by executing theapplication programs copied to the RAM 832.

The graphic processor 834 generates a screen including various objectssuch as an icon, an image, a text, etc., by using an operation part anda rendering part. The operation part operates attribute values such ascoordinate values, shapes, sizes, and colors by which each object willbe displayed according to the layout of the screen by using a controlcommand received from the user command inputter 890. Also, the renderingpart generates screens in various layouts including objects, based onthe attribute values operated at the operation part. The screensgenerated at the rending part are displayed on the screen of the displaypanel 810.

The main CPU 831 accesses the memory 880, and performs booting by usingthe O/S stored in the memory 880. Then, the main CPU 831 performsvarious operations by using various types of programs, contents,instructions, data, etc., stored in the memory 880.

The first to nth interfaces 835-1 to 835-n are connected to theaforementioned various components. One of the interfaces may be anetwork interface connected to an external apparatus through a network.

According to an embodiment, if a rotation event for rotating the displaypanel 810 occurs, as described above, the processor 830 may control thedriver 820 such that the display panel 810 rotates, and if an object isdetected within a predetermined distance or area in the rotatingdirection of the display panel 810 through the sensor 111 while thedisplay panel 810 rotates, the processor 830 may control the driver 820such that the rotation of the display panel 810 is stopped.

Here, according to an embodiment, after an object is detected within apredetermined distance and the rotation of the display panel 810 isstopped, if an object is not detected within the predetermined distancewithin a first predetermined time period, the processor 830 may controlthe driver 820 to resume the rotation of the display panel 810, and ifan object is continuously detected during the first or a secondpredetermined time period, the processor 830 may control the driver 820such that the display panel 810 goes back to the position before arotation event occurred.

That is, in case a rotation event occurred in the first position, forexample, and an object was detected while the display panel 810 rotatedand the rotation is therefore stopped, the processor 830 determineswhether the object was taken away or no longer in the rotational pathwithin a predetermined time period. Accordingly, in case the object wastaken away or no longer in the rotational path, the processor 830 maycontrol the driver 820 such that the rotation is resumed from the placewhere the rotation stopped. If the object was not taken away or remainsin the rotation path within a predetermined time period, the processor830 may control the driver 820 such that the display panel 810 returnsto the first position.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, if an object is detectedwithin a predetermined distance while the display panel 810 rotates, theprocessor 830 may stop the rotation of the display panel 810 and controlthe driver 820 such that the display panel 810 returns to the positionbefore the event occurred.

That is, unlike the embodiment described above, if a rotation eventoccurred in the first position and an object is detected while thedisplay panel 810 rotates, the processor 830 may stop the rotation andimmediately control the driver 820 such that the display panel 810returns to the first position.

According to an embodiment, if a rotation event occurs, the processor830 may control the sensor 111 to detect an object first before rotatingthe display panel 810, and may control the driver 820 such that thedisplay panel 810 rotates only in case an object is not detected withina predetermined distance or a predetermined area, as described before.Further, even if an object is not detected prior to the rotation and therotation of the display panel begins, the processor 830 may continue tocontrol the sensor 111 to detect the object during the rotation asdescribed in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment, in case the display panel810 rotates in a forward direction, the processor 830 may increase thearrangement angles of the first and third sensors 111-1, 111-3 in areverse direction as the rotating angle increases, and in case thedisplay panel 810 rotates in a reverse direction, the processor 830 mayincrease the arrangement angles of the second and fourth sensors 111-2,111-4 in a forward direction as the rotating angle increases.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are diagrams for illustrating such an embodiment. InFIGS. 9A to 9D, one sensor 111-3 arranged on the corner 3 is describedbelow as an example, but the operations of the other sensors 111-1,111-2, 111-4 may also be sufficiently understood with reference to theexplanation regarding the operation of the sensor 111-3.

Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9D, as the rotating angle of the display panel810 increases, the processor 830 may control the driver 820 such thatthe arrangement angle y of the sensor 111-3 increases.

Specifically, if a rotation event occurs in the first position, thesensor 111-3 detects an object while having an arrangement angle y asillustrated in FIG. 9A so as to detect the maximum radius point 910 ofthe rotating range 30. This is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5A orthe embodiment of FIG. 7A, and can be confirmed through the fact thatthe e area still exists.

Subsequently, while the display panel 810 rotates in a forwarddirection, the processor 830 may decrease a predetermined distance z,and increase the arrangement angle y of the sensor 111-3 in a reversedirection as in FIGS. 9B to 9D so that a shadow portion (i.e., an areawherein rotation of the display panel stops when an object is detected)does not exist outside the rotating range 30. That is, referring to theshadow portions in FIGS. 9B to 9D, it can be seen that the e area doesnot exist, unlike in FIGS. 5B to 5D, or FIGS. 7B to 7D.

As previously described above, the first sensor 111-1 and the thirdsensor 111-3 are sensors used when rotating in a forward direction, andthe second sensor 111-2 and the fourth sensor 111-4 are sensors usedwhen rotating in a reverse direction. Thus, by increasing thearrangement angles of the first sensor 111-1 and the third sensor 111-3in a reverse direction when rotating in a forward direction, andincreasing the arrangement angles of the second sensor 111-2 and thefourth sensor 111-4 in a forward direction when rotating in a reversedirection, an area e in which the aforementioned error may occur whenthe display panel 810 rotates can be removed.

Meanwhile, according to still another embodiment, if an object isdetected within a predetermined distance before or when the displaypanel 810 rotates, the processor 830 may control the display panel 810to display a notification message.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary diagram in which the display apparatus 800outputs a notification in case an obstacle is detected while (or before)the display panel 810 rotates according to an embodiment. As illustratedin FIG. 10 , if an object is detected within a predetermined distancewhile the display panel 810 rotates, the processor 830 may stop therotation of the display panel 810, and display a message notifying thatan obstacle is detected in the rotating range 30 (such as “An obstaclehas been detected”) on the display panel 810 and/or output the messagethrough the speaker.

Here, according to the aforementioned embodiment, the processor 830 mayresume the rotation of the display panel 810 in case an object is takenaway or no longer in the rotational path (i.e., no longer detected inwithin the predetermined distance or area) within a predetermined timeperiod after the display panel 810 stopped. Accordingly, if a userrecognizes the notification as described above and takes away theobstacle within a predetermined time period, the rotation of the displaypanel 810 may be resumed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a controlling method of a displayapparatus 100, 800 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 11 , ifan event for rotating the display panel 110, 810 in the first positionoccurs, the display apparatus 100, 800 may rotate the display panel 110,810 toward the second position at operation S1110. Here, the displayapparatus 100, 800 includes the display panel 110, 810, and a sensor 111detecting distance to an external object, and the display panel 110, 810rotates while its front surface maintains a specific facing direction.

Accordingly, the display apparatus 100, 800 may detect an object throughthe sensor 111 while the display panel 110, 810 rotates at operationS1120, and if an object is detected within a predetermined distance inthe rotating direction of the display panel 110, 810 at operation S1130,Y, the display apparatus 100, 800 may stop the rotation of the displaypanel 110, 810 at operation S1140.

If an object is not detected within a predetermined distance atoperation S1130, N, the display apparatus 100, 800 detects (i.e., sensesfor) an object within a predetermined distance while rotating thedisplay panel 110, 810 until arriving in the second position atoperation S1220.

Here, the predetermined distance may have different values according tothe rotating angle by which the display panel 110, 810 is rotated basedon the position of the display panel 110, 810 before the event occurred.

In particular, according to an embodiment, the predetermined distancemay have a smaller value as the rotating angle by which the displaypanel 110, 810 rotated increases.

Meanwhile, the display panel 110, 810 may rotate in a forward directionfrom the first position to the second position perpendicular to thefirst position, and may rotate in a reverse direction from the secondposition to the first position. Here, the first position may be any oneof a portrait position and a landscape position, and the second positionmay be the other one of the portrait position and the landscapeposition. Also, the forward direction may be any one of acounterclockwise direction and a clockwise direction, and the reversedirection may be the other one of the counterclockwise direction and theclockwise direction.

The sensor 111 may include a first sensor 111-1 and a second sensor111-2 arranged to be respectively adjacent to different corners on thefirst edge 40 between two long edges on the display panel 110, 810, anda third sensor 111-3 and a fourth sensor 111-4 arranged to berespectively adjacent to different corners on the second edge 50 betweenthe two edges.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, in case the display panel 110,810 rotates in a forward direction, the display apparatus 100, 800 maydetect an object by using the first sensor 111-1 (e.g., at least onefirst sensor 111-1) and the third sensor 111-3 (e.g., at least one thirdsensor 111-3) located in a diagonal direction to each other, and in casethe display panel 110, 810 rotates in a reverse direction, the displayapparatus 100, 800 may detect an object by using the second sensor 111-2(e.g., at least one second sensor 111-2 and the fourth sensor 111-4(e.g., at least one fourth sensor 111-4) located in a diagonal directionto each other.

Also, according to another embodiment, in case the display panel 110,810 rotates in a forward direction, the display apparatus 100, 800 mayincrease the arrangement angles of the first sensor 111-1 and the thirdsensor 111-3 in a reverse direction as the rotating angle increases, andin case the display panel 110, 810 rotates in a reverse direction, thedisplay apparatus 100, 800 may increase the arrangement angles of thesecond sensor 111-2 and the fourth sensor 111-4 in a forward direction.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a controlling method of a displayapparatus 100, 800 according to another embodiment. Referring to FIG. 12, if a rotation event occurs while the display panel 110, 810 is in thefirst position at operation S1210, the display apparatus 100, 800 maydetect an object before rotating the display panel 110, 810 at operationS1215.

Accordingly, if an object is detected within a predetermined distance orarea at operation S1220, Y, the display apparatus 100, 800 may notrotate the display panel 110, 810, and may output a notificationnotifying that an obstacle has been detected at operation S1225.

If an object is not detected within a predetermined distance or area atoperation S1220, N, the display apparatus 100, 800 rotates the displaypanel 110, 810 in a forward direction toward the second position atoperation S1230, and detects an object (i.e., senses for an object)during the rotation of the display panel 110, 810 at operation S1235.

Accordingly, if an object is detected within a predetermined distance orarea at operation S1240, Y, the display apparatus 100, 800 may stop therotation of the display panel 110, 810, and output a notificationnotifying that an obstacle has been detected at operation S1245.

If an object is not detected within a predetermined distance atoperation S1240, N, the display apparatus 100, 800 rotates the displaypanel 110, 810 until the display panel 110, 810 reaches the secondposition, and detects an object within a predetermined distance or areaat operation S1235.

Meanwhile, the display apparatus 100, 800 continuously detects an objectduring a predetermined time period after the rotation of the displaypanel 110, 810 is stopped at operation S1250. Accordingly, if an objectis not detected within a predetermined time period at operation S1250,N, the display apparatus 100, 800 resumes the rotation of the displaypanel 110, 810. Then, the display apparatus 100, 800 detects an objectwithin a predetermined distance or area during the resumed rotation ofthe display panel 110, 810 at operation S1235.

If an object is continuously or repeatedly detected during apredetermined time period or area at operation 51255, Y, the displayapparatus 100, 800 rotates the display panel 110, 810 in a reversedirection and restores the position of the display panel 110, 810 to theinitial position before the display panel 110, 810 rotated, i.e., thefirst position at operation S1260.

According to embodiments as described above, a display apparatus candetect surrounding obstacles and rotate a display panel safely.

Meanwhile, one or more embodiments may be implemented as softwareincluding instructions stored in machine-readable storage media, whichcan be read by machines (e.g., computers). Here, the machines refer toapparatuses that call instructions stored in a storage medium, and canoperate according to the called instructions, and the apparatuses mayinclude the display apparatus 100, 800 according to the aforementionedembodiments.

In case an instruction is executed by a processor, the processor mayperform a function corresponding to the instruction by itself, or byusing other components under its control. An instruction may include acode that is generated or executed by a compiler or an interpreter. Astorage medium that is readable by machines may be provided in the formof a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term “non-transitory” onlymeans that a storage medium does not include signals, and is tangible,but does not indicate whether data is stored in the storage mediumsemi-permanently or temporarily.

Also, methods according to one or more embodiments described above maybe provided while being included in a computer program product. Acomputer program product refers to a product, and it can be tradedbetween a seller and a buyer. A computer program product can bedistributed on-line in the form of a storage medium that is readable bymachines (e.g.: a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or through anapplication store (e.g., GOOGLE PLAY STORE). In the case of on-linedistribution, at least a portion of a computer program product may bestored in a storage medium such as a server of a manufacturer, a serverof the application store, and the memory of a relay server at leasttemporarily, or may be generated temporarily.

Further, each of the components according to the aforementioned variousembodiments (e.g., a module, a part, or a program) may consist of asingular object or a plurality of objects. Also, among theaforementioned corresponding sub components, some sub components may beomitted, or other sub components may be further included in the variousembodiments. Generally or additionally, some components (e.g., a moduleor a program) may be integrated as an object, and perform the functionsthat were performed by each of the components before integrationidentically or in a similar manner. Operations performed by a module, aprogram, or other components according to the various embodiments may beexecuted sequentially, in parallel, repetitively, or heuristically. Or,at least some of the operations may be executed in a different order, oromitted, or other operations may be added.

The descriptions above are merely an exemplary explanation of thetechnical idea of the disclosure, and various amendments andmodifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in thetechnical field to which the disclosure belongs, within the scope of theintrinsic characteristics of the disclosure. Also, embodiments accordingto the disclosure are not for limiting the technical idea of thedisclosure, but for explaining the technical idea, and the scope of thetechnical idea of the disclosure is not limited by these embodiments.Accordingly, the scope of protection of the disclosure should beinterpreted based on the appended claims, and all technical ideas withinan equivalent scope thereto should be interpreted to belong to the scopeof protection of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a display panelconfigured to rotate with a front surface maintaining a constantdirection; at least one sensor configured to detect whether an objectexists within a predetermined distance along a rotational path of thedisplay panel; and a processor configured to: based on detecting, viathe at least one sensor, the object within the predetermined distancealong the rotational path of the display panel, control the displaypanel to not rotate, wherein the predetermined distance has differentvalues according to a rotating angle by which the display panel hasrotated from a position of the display panel before the display panelrotates.
 2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermineddistance has a decreasing value as the rotating angle by which thedisplay panel has rotated increases.
 3. The display apparatus of claim1, wherein the display panel is rotatable in a forward direction from afirst position to a second position perpendicular to the first position,and is rotatable in a reverse direction, opposite the forward direction,from the second position to the first position.
 4. The display apparatusof claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged adjacent to atleast one corner of the display panel.
 5. The display apparatus of claim4, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a first sensor and a secondsensor respectively arranged adjacent to different corners on a firstedge among two long edges on the display panel in a rectangular form,and a third sensor and a fourth sensor respectively arranged adjacent todifferent corners on a second edge among the two long edges.
 6. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: based on the display panel rotating in a forwarddirection, detect the object via the first sensor and the third sensorlocated diagonally from each other; and based on the display panelrotating in a reverse direction, opposite the forward direction, detectthe object via the second sensor and the fourth sensor locateddiagonally from each other.
 7. The display apparatus of claim 6,wherein: the first sensor and the third sensor are arranged such that adetecting direction is toward the forward direction; and the secondsensor and the fourth sensor are arranged such that the detectingdirection is toward the reverse direction.
 8. The display apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on thedisplay panel rotating in the forward direction, control to increasearrangement angles of the first sensor and the third sensor in thereverse direction as the rotating angle increases; and based on thedisplay panel rotating in the reverse direction, control to increasearrangement angles of the second sensor and the fourth sensor in theforward direction as the rotating angle increases.
 9. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: based ondetecting, via the at least one sensor, the object within thepredetermined distance while the display panel rotates, control thedisplay panel to stop rotating.
 10. The display apparatus of claim 9,wherein the processor is further configured to: based on an object notbeing detected within the predetermined distance within a predeterminedtime period after the object is detected and rotation of the displaypanel is stopped, control the display panel to resume the rotation; andbased on the object being continuously detected within the predetermineddistance during the predetermined time period, control the display panelto return to a position before the event occurred.
 11. The displayapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: based ondetecting, via the at least one sensor, the object within thepredetermined distance before the display panel rotates, control thedisplay panel to not rotate.
 12. The display apparatus of claim 11,wherein the processor is further configured to: based on detecting, viathe at least one sensor, that the object does not exist within thepredetermined distance before the display panel rotates, control thedisplay panel to rotate along the rotational path; and based ondetecting, via the at least one sensor, the object within thepredetermined distance while the display panel rotates, control thedisplay panel to stop rotating.
 13. The display apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to, based on the objectbeing detected within the predetermined distance before or while thedisplay panel rotates, control the display panel to display anotification message.
 14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to based on the object being detectedwithin the predetermined distance while the display panel rotates, stopthe rotation of the display panel and control the display panel toreturn to a position before the display panel rotates.
 15. A controllingmethod of a display apparatus comprising a display panel configured torotate with a front surface maintaining a constant direction, thecontrolling method comprising: detecting, via at least one sensor,whether an object exists within a predetermined distance along arotational path of the display panel; and based on detecting the objectwithin the predetermined distance along the rotational path of thedisplay panel, controlling the display panel to not rotate, wherein thepredetermined distance has different values according to a rotatingangle by which the display panel has rotated from a position of thedisplay panel before the display panel rotates.
 16. The controllingmethod of claim 15, wherein the predetermined distance has a decreasingvalue as the rotating angle by which the display panel has rotatedincreases.
 17. The controlling method of claim 15, wherein the displaypanel is rotatable in a forward direction from a first position to asecond position perpendicular to the first position, and is rotatable ina reverse direction, opposite the forward direction, from the secondposition to the first position.
 18. The controlling method of claim 15,further comprising: based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, theobject within the predetermined distance while the display panelrotates, controlling the display panel to stop rotating.
 19. Thecontrolling method of claim 15, further comprising: based on detecting,via the at least one sensor, the object within the predetermineddistance before the display panel rotates, controlling the display panelto not rotate.
 20. The controlling method of claim 19, furthercomprising: based on detecting, via the at least one sensor, that theobject does not exist within the predetermined distance before thedisplay panel rotates, controlling the display panel to rotate along therotational path; and based on detecting, via the at least one sensor,the object within the predetermined distance while the display panelrotates, controlling the display panel to stop rotating.